Henry Mance

Henry Mance tackles subjects as diverse as the funding crisis in English opera, the environmental impact of cruise ships, the dire state of the UK’s criminal justice system, AI scepticism – and life behind the scenes at new broadcasting pretender GB News, which, in Mance’s telling, has more of Drop the Dead Donkey than All the President’s Men about it.

He can be very serious – who knew, for example, that one of the reasons for the sclerotic criminal justice system is Serco’s shortage of drivers for 12-seater prison vans? And he can also be very funny – his GB News feature is stuffed with confidences teased out of interviewees, such as Andrew Neil’s alleged insistence on a private jet to fly him to the launch from the south of France, and observations such as the “wild swings of the camera, unexplained crashing sounds from out of shot, and guests talking over each other while not visible” that characterise broadcasts.

His hallmarks of balance, nuance, wit, detailed research – both quantitative and qualitative – and pacy writing style make Mance’s features both gripping and authoritative.

Judges praised his “first-class writing and the sort of deep dives into topics that make you forget the passing of time”.